March 2010 – Page 17 – NBA Blog

LeBron James files for change to number 6 jersey for 2010-11 season

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

LeBron James fans, get ready to make some room in your closet for No. 6 jerseys.

James told The Plain Dealer on Monday that he’s filed the paperwork with the NBA office to switch his jersey number from No. 23 to No. 6 next season. He had to make the decision this week, the deadline to make the request to the NBA is Wednesday.

James first brought up the idea in November, saying he wanted to give up No. 23 out of respect to his hero, Michael Jordan. At that time he said he was “50/50” on switching to No. 6, his Olympic number and the day of the month his first son was born. That now seems to be 100 percent.

“I’ve done it,” James said. “I already sent it in. I’m going to be No. 6.”

Chris Webber being sued over restaurant business

M.S. Enkoji of the Sacramento Bee reports:

Former Sacramento Kings star-turned restaurateur Chris Webber is being sued for nearly $3 million in connection with Center Court With C-Webb, his Natomas restaurant that closed in November.

In a lawsuit filed Feb. 23 in Sacramento Superior Court, Promenade, which owns the Promenade at Sacramento Gateway Shopping Center, is suing for $1.8 million under terms of the 20-year lease signed by Webber and partner Jeff Dudum, of Dudum Sports and Entertainment, in 2005 with Opus West Corp., which has since filed for bankruptcy protection.

The landlords are also asking for $1 million to help re-lease the property, $134,997 in overdue rent, $50,000 in cleanup fees and another $41,399.32 a month until the court renders a judgment.

LeBron sees T-Mac is rusty

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports:

Tracy McGrady has already e-mailed LeBron James an overture to join him in New York next season.

But James will have to see more from T-Mac for his New York presence to be a draw.

Following McGrady’s listless six-point, 25-minute performance, James saw the rust.

“He looked like a guy who hasn’t played much,” James said after the Cavaliers crushed the Knicks 124-93 last night. “It doesn’t matter how much rehab you do, how much working out you do. You have to be out on the court, because game-time stamina is totally different. He’s still shooting extremely well. He still can play point forward as he always had. But he’s still getting his legs back. The last 20 games will help him, help him a lot for next year.”

Wizards waive Mike James

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has waived guard Mike James after coming to a mutual agreement on a contract buyout.

James appeared in four games for the Wizards this season, averaging 4.5 points and 1.3 assists. Overall, he averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 assists in 57 games with the Wizards after being acquired from New Orleans in a three-team deal that sent Antonio Daniels (from Washington) to New Orleans, a conditional draft pick (from Washington) to Memphis and Javaris Crittenton (from Memphis) to Washington on Dec. 10, 2008.

Spurs waive Mike Finley

Today, to honor Michael Finley’s request to be released from his contract, the San Antonio Spurs waived the veteran guard. This move will allow Finley to sign with another team and be eligible to participate in the 2010 NBA Playoffs.

“Michael Finley was an outstanding professional during his time with the Spurs,” said Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich. “Both on and off the court he was great example for all to follow.”

The 6-7, 225-lb Finley appeared in 347 games over five seasons with San Antonio. He averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 25.3 minutes while shooting .417 (1,212-2,905) from the field, .382 (490-1,282) from three-point land and .849 (309-364) from the line. Finley ranks fourth all-time for the Spurs in three-pointers made and attempted. In 55 postseason games with San Antonio he averaged 9.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 26.9 minutes per game.

Finley was originally signed by the Spurs on 9/2/05. The two-time All-Star has also spent time with the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks. Over his 15-year NBA career, he has appeared in 1,082 games and has averaged 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 34.8 minutes. Finley has also appeared in 101 career postseason games and averaged 13.0, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 33.3 minutes.

Michael Redd to have more knee surgery

Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd is scheduled to undergo surgery tomorrow to repair the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

The surgical procedure will be performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Brian Cole, M.D., in Oak Park, IL. Redd, 30, will begin rehabilitation immediately following surgery.

Redd injured his left knee on January 10 in the Bucks game against the Lakers at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. In 18 games this season, Redd averaged 11.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.06 steals in 27.3 minutes.

A 10-year NBA veteran, Redd passed Bob Dandridge (11,478) for fourth in franchise history (January 5 at New Jersey) for scoring and stands at 11,510 points, 85 points from passing Sidney Moncrief (11,594) for third. At 568 games played, Redd is tied with Glenn Robinson for seventh in Bucks annals. Along with Junior Bridgeman and Sidney Moncrief, Redd is one of three players to play ten seasons in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform.

Timberwolves waive Mark Blount

Minnesota Timberwolves center Mark Blount has no particularly special basketball skills. He’s tall, though.

As great as that sounds, the Timberwolves today announced the team has waived Blount.

The Timberwolves acquired Blount from Miami on August 13, 2009 in exchange for Quentin Richardson. Blount did not appear in a game for the Wolves this season.

A 7-0 center, Blount has appeared in 605 career games over his nine-year NBA career, including stops in Boston, Denver, Minnesota and Miami. Originally selected by Seattle with the 54th overall pick of the 1997 NBA Draft, Blount owns career averages of 8.2 points and 4.6 rebounds. He played for the Wolves in 2005-06 and 2006-07, averaging 11.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in 124 games.

It’s possible Blount does get signed by another team in the near future, but it would likely be an unguaranteed deal for the league minimum.

Albuquerque Thunderbirds to move, become New Mexico Thunderbirds

The Thunderbirds today announced plans to relocate to the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, NM, following the conclusion of the 2009-10 NBA D-League regular season. In conjunction with the move to Rio Rancho, the team will also be rebranding itself as the New Mexico Thunderbirds.

The New Mexico Thunderbirds will begin play at the Global Spectrum managed facility in late 2010.

“We are so grateful to all of the loyal and passionate T-Birds fans for supporting the team over the past five years and helping us to deliver top notch NBA minor league professional basketball action to Albuquerque,” said team owner Jackie Bregman. “We hope all of our fans will continue to love and support the team as we move north into this beautiful arena. We are truly excited to be rebranding the team as the New Mexico Thunderbirds because we want to reach out to the entire statewide community.”

Santa Ana Star Center is a $47 million facility with 165,000 square feet of extended floor space. It will seat approximately 6,000 during Thunderbirds games. The venue has 1,400 parking spaces, 500 club seats and 26 private luxury suites and is designed to meet all ADA specifications to accommodate guests with disabilities.

“We are very excited that we were able to come to an agreement to make Santa Ana Star Center the new home of the New Mexico Thunderbirds,” said Global Spectrum’s Gunnar Fox, General Manager of the Santa Ana Star Center. “This allows us to offer our community an NBA caliber product combined with fun for the whole family.”

The team will play its final game at Tingley Coliseum on March 13 when the T-Birds host the Los Angeles D-Fenders.

Report: Blazers to sign Travis Diener

On Monday, the Indiana Pacers waived guard Travis Diener, who has been unhealthy most of the season. He played just four games, registering statistics too small to be worth posting.

But despite his lack of productivity, according to a report from Yahoo, the Portland Trail Blazers will sign Diener when he clears waiver.

The 6-1, 175-pound Diener has an NBA career average of 4.9 points and 2.5 assists per game, playing for the Pacers and Orlando Magic.

Pacers waive Travis Diener

The Indiana Pacers announced Monday they have waived guard Travis Diener.

The 6-1 Diener had played in just four games this season, largely due to an injury to the big toe on his left foot that required surgery. In his previous two seasons with the Pacers, Diener played in 121 games and averaged 5.4 points and 3.0 assists. He was signed as a free agent in 2007 after playing two years in Orlando.

“We want to thank Travis for his time with us,” said Pacers President of Basketball Larry Bird. “Unfortunately, he struggled with injuries while with us and that held him back. He’s a tough player who I’m sure will contribute somewhere in the NBA. We wish him the best.”